FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel’s ugly exit

March 2, 2017   •  By Paul Jossey   •  ,

Federal Election Commissioner (FEC) Ann Ravel’s rocky tenure ended this week on March 1. She resigned with a 25-page screed that painted the campaign ...

Soon-to-be former Democratic FEC chair tried to politicize the bipartisan commission

March 1, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Federal Election Commissioner Ann Ravel announced this week her intent to resign on March 1, two months before the expiration of her term. By ...

Resigning FEC Commissioner Ravel Never Stopped Her Partisan Grandstanding

February 23, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel announced over Presidents’ Day Weekend that she would resign from her post with only a few months left in her ...

Obama was no one’s hero when it came to money in politics

February 8, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

For eight years, left-leaning groups like Common Cause, Public Citizen, and the Brennan Center for Justice pressured President Obama to do something, anything about ...

Will Trump Cause Liberals to Rethink Campaign Finance Reform?

February 1, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

Pushing to overturn Citizens United. Urging the IRS to police political activity. Proposing to replace the independent Federal Election Commission with an agency controlled ...

Comments to FEC Regarding Notice 2016-11: Rulemaking Petition: Political Party Rules

January 30, 2017   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

The Center disagrees with Petitioners’ assertion that citizens pose a threat to the existence “of political parties at the state and local level”[5] when ...

Comments to FEC Regarding Notice 2016-10: Rulemaking Petition: Implementing the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015

January 30, 2017   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

The Center generally urges the Commission to enact the Petition’s suggested amendments. In implementing the Appropriations Act, however, the Commission’s regulations should carefully conform ...

Comments to FEC regarding Revising Rules on Online Disclaimers to Adapt to New or Emerging Technologies

December 19, 2016   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

In addressing the topic of online disclaimers, the Commission does not write upon a blank slate. Most directly, present regulations state that “[a]ll public ...

Issue One Launches Plan to “Return Government to the American People” By Empowering Government

December 14, 2016   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

On Wednesday morning, the self-styled campaign finance “reform” group Issue One hosted an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event, ...

Self-Styled Campaign Finance “Reformers” Jump the Shark

December 6, 2016   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

This Issue Brief tells the alarming story of radical activists and government leaders pushing for new restrictions on political speech in the wake of ...

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